addicted-gamers.comhttp://addicted-gamers.com
We're gamers, just like you.Sat, 21 Sep 2013 08:25:19 +0000en-UShourly1The end of an erahttp://addicted-gamers.com/2013/07/03/the-end-of-an-era/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/07/03/the-end-of-an-era/#commentsWed, 03 Jul 2013 16:17:15 +0000Mike.Mhttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18566That time has finally come. Addicted-Gamers fades into the sunset. The primary reason for the end is because I have taken a position as Games Editor at VGRevolution.com and both Nick and Bradley are taking their writing ability to VGRevolution also. Addicted-Gamers has been an interested, fun and anxiety filled ride for me. I started

]]>That time has finally come. Addicted-Gamers fades into the sunset. The primary reason for the end is because I have taken a position as Games Editor at VGRevolution.com and both Nick and Bradley are taking their writing ability to VGRevolution also.

Addicted-Gamers has been an interested, fun and anxiety filled ride for me. I started out with a pipe dream and while successful for a while for what it was, never achieved the lofty goals I set for myself. It’s hard to make something out of nothing on the internet when there’s thousands of other sites and people trying to do the same.

At the end of the day, I love playing video games and writing. I don’t know that the two things come together in the future, but I learned more about managing people and projects in the two years running Addicted-Gamers than I have in my entire professional life spent mostly in retail management. I couldn’t ask for anything more from the people and the experience involved.

I would like to thank Bradley, Chris, Joe, Matt, Morgan, Nick, Peter, and especially Eileen who did a ton of work here and left under circumstances that I wish would’ve been handled differently.

As mentioned, a few of us can be found at VGRevolution, but I’m also moving into new ventures with the Nefarious Gamers Podcast which can be found on Nefariousgamers.com. I am also starting school again in the Fall. I will be getting my Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University.

]]>http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/07/03/the-end-of-an-era/feed/0Creator Ed Key Talks about Proteus’ Early Skyrim-esque Aspirationshttp://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/27/creator-ed-keys-talks-about-proteus-early-skyrim-esque-aspiration/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/27/creator-ed-keys-talks-about-proteus-early-skyrim-esque-aspiration/#commentsThu, 27 Jun 2013 22:28:46 +0000Nick.Ahttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18556Proteus was originally intended to be a sprawling RPG in the ilk of The Elder Scrolls, says Proteus’ creator, Ed Key, in an interview with RPS. The remnants were buried in the code. In the sit-down, Ed Key talked about the inception of his game, Proteus, a nonviolent work of minimalism at end, but an

]]>Proteus was originally intended to be a sprawling RPG in the ilk of The Elder Scrolls, says Proteus’ creator, Ed Key, in an interview with RPS. The remnants were buried in the code.

In the sit-down, Ed Key talked about the inception of his game, Proteus, a nonviolent work of minimalism at end, but an ambitious, procedurally generated RPG at early concept. “I was originally thinking it’d be a bit more like Skyrim or I guess Oblivion at the time,” he said. “It would’ve been an RPG where you went to towns and did quests.”

Key had to rethink the idea, simply, because of the amount of work it would take — the procedural stuff alone would be a enormous time sink. Unlike TES, crafted with manpower in the hundreds, Proteus would be put largely together by two men, Key himself and composer David Kanaga (also behind the music of DYAD). “It’s not like it’s impossible, but it was just a lot and I wasn’t even sure what the project was going to be,” said Key. “So I don’t think Proteus was a reaction [to action-heavy games] originally. But it became apparent that it was possible to make something sort of nontraditional and non-violent.”

Thus we ended up getting what Proteus is today, a game of visual-audio exploration and discovery, something quite unique and unafraid to be unique — but, had it not been for certain restrictions (money, really), it might have never seen the light of day.

With the success of Proteus, Key now has the resources to start his own studio, but he’s opting not to. He wants to keep creative control, and with a larger studio it becomes gamble to have everyone on the same page. His next game he’s already working on, and it’s not what you might expect: “Something I want to do. It’s like a boardgame-y, chunky, card-game-y kind of thing, but translated into videogame form.”

Proteus will probably not receiving a sequel, but Key says it is a priority right now to get proper mod support set up.

]]>http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/27/creator-ed-keys-talks-about-proteus-early-skyrim-esque-aspiration/feed/0Like Physics: Here’s How Good A Virtual Car Can Look Tumbling Down A Cliffhttp://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/26/like-physics-heres-how-good-a-virtual-car-can-look-tumbling-down-a-cliff/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/26/like-physics-heres-how-good-a-virtual-car-can-look-tumbling-down-a-cliff/#commentsThu, 27 Jun 2013 01:10:37 +0000Nick.Ahttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18548I carry an deep interest for virtual destruction. It’s what made me spawn vehicles onto Grand Theft Auto’s buildings and drive them off in wide-eyed anticipation, later thrilled a pancake of a Turismo could still drive. It’s why the destruction of Red Faction Guerilla fascinated me so, and disappointed me so when the game would

]]>I carry an deep interest for virtual destruction. It’s what made me spawn vehicles onto Grand Theft Auto’s buildings and drive them off in wide-eyed anticipation, later thrilled a pancake of a Turismo could still drive. It’s why the destruction of Red Faction Guerilla fascinated me so, and disappointed me so when the game would not just leave me alone to my ruinous experiments. And yet, I broke a mug the other day — couldn’t have been more disappointed in myself.

I know there are more of us out there. That’s why I’m putting this video showing virtual cars tumbling down cliffs here.

The video is a demonstration of some technology from BeamNG, a young startup company developing a state of the art real time physics simulation engine. Right now the team of four’s main goal is to ‘have realistic, accurate, destructible and malleable physics everywhere.’ They’re working toward a more mangled, indiscernible tomorrow.

They say ‘engine’, though there’s some suspicion they may be making more. They have worked in Oculus Rift support. If you go to their blog, you can see the incredible amount of work invested.

]]>http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/26/like-physics-heres-how-good-a-virtual-car-can-look-tumbling-down-a-cliff/feed/0Smash Bros Designer Apologizes for Cut Characters Ahead of Timehttp://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/24/smash-bros-designer-apologizes-for-cut-characters-ahead-of-time/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/24/smash-bros-designer-apologizes-for-cut-characters-ahead-of-time/#commentsMon, 24 Jun 2013 22:31:55 +0000Nick.Ahttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18540The new Super Smash Bros. announced at E3 for the Wii U might not be include all the characters you’d expect. One of the game’s directors is already apologizing for any characters from previous games that may be excluded. Speaking to NowGamer, designer Masahiro Sakurai expressed his remorse in the event that certain characters get

]]>The new Super Smash Bros. announced at E3 for the Wii U might not be include all the characters you’d expect. One of the game’s directors is already apologizing for any characters from previous games that may be excluded.

Speaking to NowGamer, designer Masahiro Sakurai expressed his remorse in the event that certain characters get cut. “We’re going to put in as many characters as we can, we really want to do that, because it’s good for the fans and good for all of us,” he said. “But in the event that we do have to cut some characters, I’d like to apologize in advance.”

History tells us that the Super Smash Bros. roster gets larger with each entry, (although characters in the past have been cut in place of other characters). But Sakurai made it clear that “we don’t have the time to fully recreate every single character who’s been in Smash Bros at this point.” Including characters isn’t an easy task, as he points out, “adding new characters is not a simple addition–it’s really multiplication. The amount of work, adding a character is multiplied and becomes bigger and bigger as you go.”

]]>Pedro and I return with our freshly minted, newly rebranded Nefarious Gamers Podcast. Episode 1 is live, download or stream it through our various listening options.

Nefarious Gamers Podcast features our takes on the latest in video gaming and pop culture. The inaugural episode looks at the next generation as Microsoft backtracks on the Xbox One, Mike divorces his Gamerscore, and Pedro and Mike are eagerly awaiting the holidays so they can open their PS4s together for Christmas.

]]>http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/24/nefarious-gamers-podcast-episode-1/feed/0The War Z Now Called ‘Infestation: Survivor Stories’http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/20/the-warz-undergoes-name-change-to-infestation-survivor-stories/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/20/the-warz-undergoes-name-change-to-infestation-survivor-stories/#commentsThu, 20 Jun 2013 23:51:18 +0000Nick.Ahttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18504The War Z hasn’t garnered the most positive press — its been one oddity after the other — and now, seven months after release, a rebranding has taken place. While the game will now be called Infestation: Survivor Stories — you shouldn’t expect any other changes. In the wake of Microsoft’s decision to back down

]]>The War Z hasn’t garnered the most positive press — its been one oddity after the other — and now, seven months after release, a rebranding has taken place. While the game will now be called Infestation: Survivor Stories — you shouldn’t expect any other changes.

In the wake of Microsoft’s decision to back down on their plans for the Xbox One after copious amounts of consumer-heat, maybe developer Hammerpoint found itself inspired to do the same — not so much in reevaluating the approach as, er, reevaluating the title of the product, attempting maybe to (I’m being presumptuous, here) distance itself from the questionable and downright wrong decision making over the course of the game’s continued development.

Hammerpoint’s explanation showed up on Facebook, where the developers say the name-change is to avoid confusion. Understandable reasoning — as it shares a similar title to other games (DayZ), books (World War Z), and movies (the film adaption of my book example) in an equally similar vein, as well as a striking (attempted) likeness to DayZ on all fronts — but, nonetheless, reasoning just as valid when the game was originally announced as it is today. Here read for yourself:

“Effective today, The War Z has changed its name to Infestation: Survivor Stories. This change has come about primarily as a result of some confusion and trademark issues with a similarly titled property. While we were reluctant to rename the game so long after launch, especially with nearly 1 million registered players, it was ultimately decided to be in the best interest of our existing community as well as future players in order to eliminate confusion. Please rest assured that this will in NO WAY affect you as players. The only difference you will see is the change in logo and website. There will be no interruption of service or change in content.”

]]>http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/20/the-warz-undergoes-name-change-to-infestation-survivor-stories/feed/0Microsoft Reversing Policies on Xbox One DRMhttp://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/19/microsoft-reversing-policies-on-xbox-one-drm/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/19/microsoft-reversing-policies-on-xbox-one-drm/#commentsWed, 19 Jun 2013 22:24:45 +0000Nick.Ahttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18489This isn’t a speculative article. This isn’t a rumor whispered by a unnamed source with insider information (or not any more). This is an actual statement sent out by Microsoft declaring the end of their DRM plans. Gone is the mandatory 24-hour online check-in and all of the used-game restrictions. GiantBomb’s Patrick Klepek broke the

]]>This isn’t a speculative article. This isn’t a rumor whispered by a unnamed source with insider information (or not any more). This is an actual statement sent out by Microsoft declaring the end of their DRM plans. Gone is the mandatory 24-hour online check-in and all of the used-game restrictions.

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future.

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One.

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.

Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console — there will be no regional restrictions.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

]]>http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/19/microsoft-reversing-policies-on-xbox-one-drm/feed/0GoG Summer Sale Is Here, Get Torchlight for Freehttp://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/18/gog-summer-sale-is-here-get-torchlight-for-free/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/18/gog-summer-sale-is-here-get-torchlight-for-free/#commentsTue, 18 Jun 2013 21:07:42 +0000Nick.Ahttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18476The Good Old Games’ Summer Sale has begun. I’ll be the first to say, I am PC-less, so I have no use for it. However, I don’t need a PC to know that Torchlight is not a bad thing at all. The original Torchlight will be free until June 20th as part of the promotion.

]]>The Good Old Games’ Summer Sale has begun. I’ll be the first to say, I am PC-less, so I have no use for it. However, I don’t need a PC to know that Torchlight is not a bad thing at all. The original Torchlight will be free until June 20th as part of the promotion. There will be new deals everyday until July 5th. That means there will be plenty of 50% off and 60% off and 70% off and even 80% off labels on a whole bunch of games. Perhaps on ones you have yet to play and really should. Below I’ve compiled a list of the highlights for day one, just a small taste of what’s on offer.

Remember the deals having a dwindling ticker next to them to signify their expiration, so they are not static until July 5th. Everyday there will be different deals added. Bigger bundles like the ones above will probably be swapped out more frequently. The sale ends on July 5th. Go download Torchlight for free before it disappears. #NoDRM

]]>http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/18/gog-summer-sale-is-here-get-torchlight-for-free/feed/0Major Nelson: Xbox One Games Will ‘Certainly’ Be Playable After This Console Cyclehttp://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/17/major-nelson-xbox-one-games-will-certainly-still-be-playable-after-this-console-cycle/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/17/major-nelson-xbox-one-games-will-certainly-still-be-playable-after-this-console-cycle/#commentsMon, 17 Jun 2013 22:20:35 +0000Nick.Ahttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18459A big worry for those considering Microsoft’s Xbox One, given the online connectivity required for all games, is the notion that after so long, the servers will be shut down and games will no longer be playable. It’s a valid concern. Singleplayer and multiplayer games are, essentially, in the same basket now, dependent on the

]]>A big worry for those considering Microsoft’s Xbox One, given the online connectivity required for all games, is the notion that after so long, the servers will be shut down and games will no longer be playable. It’s a valid concern. Singleplayer and multiplayer games are, essentially, in the same basket now, dependent on the console periodically pinging the servers to play.

Just think back to any game that used servers in some form or fashion. Remember when Halo 2′s (Xbox) servers were finally shut down, well into the life of the Xbox 360, even with a dedicated player-base still showing up? Same goes for older sports games and shooters that have long been abandoned. Taking down the servers is like the last shot to put down a wounded animal. It’s understood, though, that server space has to be freed up for other stuff. Sorry, you can’t play Resistance: Fall of Man deathmatch ’till the end of time, with those (and only those) eight people you have become so familiar with. But, it’s totally different when we’re talking single-player. People expect to replay Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic as long as their system and game disc are fit to do so.

So naturally people are upset about the idea that Microsoft could pull the plug on the Xbox One whenever they see fit, and thus on games in no need of servers in the first place.

However, perhaps Microsoft have an answer for this one. During an E3 interview with /r/games ( The Escapist), Microsoft’s Larry Hryb aka Major Nelson adamant that Xbox One games will not have expiration date. “That’s certainly something we would not do,” he said. “That’s not the way the system is designed. It’s designed for flexibility.”

Though he pumped the breaks too, saying, “Let’s get the system out there first.”

He also dispels speculation that those banned from Xbox Live could possibly be at risk of losing their game libraries, or losing access to them, with an “Absolutely not.”

Answers like these, you’d think, Microsoft would be shouting from the rooftops, as one of few positive angle given thus far, the reassurance of “we won’t take your games away.”

]]>http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/17/major-nelson-xbox-one-games-will-certainly-still-be-playable-after-this-console-cycle/feed/0The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds Releases on 3DS in Novemberhttp://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/16/the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-between-worlds-releases-on-3ds-in-november/
http://addicted-gamers.com/2013/06/16/the-legend-of-zelda-a-link-between-worlds-releases-on-3ds-in-november/#commentsSun, 16 Jun 2013 21:02:12 +0000Nick.Ahttp://addicted-gamers.com/?p=18447The sequel to the The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is coming exclusively to the 3DS this November under the moniker The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, according to a report by IGN. The game, as we’ve known, will be a direct sequel, built from the ground up to take

]]>The sequel to the The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is coming exclusively to the 3DS this November under the moniker The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, according to a report by IGN. The game, as we’ve known, will be a direct sequel, built from the ground up to take advantage of the handheld system’s 3D more so than any previous Zelda game. It’ll allow Link to jump from the 3D environment onto walls as a 2D painting, a feature not yet seen in the series.

The North American release date reportedly comes from an ‘analyst presentation meeting’ held earlier this week. Nintendo are still not clear on a European release date, but maintain it will be “towards the end of the year.”